Hakeem Olajuwon celebrates after he started a fast break that ended in a Steve Francis slam during the first quarter of the Houston Rockets season finale vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves at Compaq Center in Houston, TX Tuesday night April 17, 2001. (Smiley N. Pool/Houston Chronicle) 04/17/01. HOUCHRON CAPTION (04/19/2001): A top priority for the Rockets during the off-season is setting the status of Hakeem Olajuwon, who hopes to play another season, with Houston as his preferred locale. HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/02/2001): Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets to two NBA championships. HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/04/2001): Houston has had many sports icons, and coincidentally, some of the best have worn the number 34: Earl Campbell (NOT PICTURED). Nolan Ryan (NOT PICTURED). Hakeem Olajuwon. In Sports 2, the Chronicle relives Olajuwon's stellar career and lists his 34 greatest moments as a Rocket. HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/05/2001): On the cover: Hakeem Olajuwon photographed by the Chronicle's Smiley N. Pool during his final game in a Rockets uniform on April 17, 2001. HOUSTON CHRONICLE SPECIAL SECTION: HAKEEM OLAJUWON: SPACE CITY DREAM. less

Hakeem Olajuwon celebrates after he started a fast break that ended in a Steve Francis slam during the first quarter of the Houston Rockets season finale vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves at Compaq Center in ... more

Photo: SMILEY N. POOL, STAFF

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By 2001, Hakeem Olajuwon, here shooting over the Knicks' Marcus Camby, was heading down the homestretch of his illustrious career. But 13 years later, he's still casting an imposing shadow over the sport as Joel Embiid, a freshman center at Kansas, is studying the Hall of Famer's moves in an attempt to duplicate the success of the longtime Rockets superstar. less

By 2001, Hakeem Olajuwon, here shooting over the Knicks' Marcus Camby, was heading down the homestretch of his illustrious career. But 13 years later, he's still casting an imposing shadow over the sport as ... more

Kansas (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) has just ended a film session, but Embiid isn't done. He studies a video he has watched hundreds of times on his own, stopping only to replay the clip or take a bite from a sugar cookie.

Embiid is a teenager but his game, his footwork and grace, reminded those who have watched him of centers from a different era. Kansas coach Bill Self has seen it, NBA front offices have seen it and even those who played with Olajuwon have seen it.

Number 25 Texas (16-4, 5-2), which hosts the Jayhawks on Saturday, is the next team tasked with slowing the 7-footer from Cameroon who has hijacked the spotlight cast on other college basketball freshmen this season.

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"He kind of reminds me of Olajuwon," Self said before the season started. "I'm not saying he's Olajuwon at all, but there are similarities."

They're similar in how they move, how they play and how they arrived.

Maybe even more than Embiid realizes.

Gettys sees similarities

When he was 16, Embiid had his first basketball practice. When he finished, his coach in Cameroon gave him a video.

Embiid had never heard of Olajuwon, the legendary Rockets center, but there he was on Embiid's television screen, shaking and spinning past defenders.

Standing 6-9, Embiid had outgrown volleyball. And before he played volleyball, there was soccer - the sport Olajuwon played growing up in Nigeria.

Embiid's father, a colonel in the Cameroon army is a handball player. The sports combined to give Embiid the mobility and coordination that's rare in 7-foot basketball players. He has footwork from soccer, coordination from handball and fast reactions from volleyball.

The story runs parallel to that of Olajuwon, who turned to basketball at 15 after being a soccer goalie. When he was 18, he left Nigeria to play for Guy V. Lewis' University of Houston team.

ESPN basketball analyst Reid Gettys played with Olajuwon as a freshman at UH and has watched Embiid play on television.

"The similarities are intentional," Gettys said. "He's learned the footwork and he's learned the spin moves, and he's learned some of the same things offensively at the peak of Olajuwon's career.

"Hakeem as a freshman couldn't do any of that."

Mimicking the moves

The video played along, and Embiid was mostly silent.

Rewind. Play. Rewind. Play. Rewind. Play.

He broke the silence, explaining he can do the spin move because defenders expect a hook shoot. When a clip of Patrick Ewing defending Olajuwon appeared, Embiid called out the play before it's over: "Spin, fake, whoop."

This video is 10 minutes long, and Embiid has nearly every play memorized. He has developed his game from them.

When he was 16 and playing for Montverde Academy in Florida, a bored Embiid went to the gym with Olajuwon clips cued up on his phone, mimicking his moves over and over and over.

But Embiid doesn't use them yet. A hook shot works for the 7-foot, 250-pound center. But one day, when playing against bigger opponents and more thorough scouting reports, Embiid's moves will be ready.

"I never use it," Embiid said. "I just keep working, and when the time comes, I'm going to start using it."

But there's a slight exception to Embiid saying never.

Intensity the next step

During a scrimmage, Gettys took a jump shot at the top of the key. Olajuwon, then a freshman, went up and caught it.

The play continued, and Gettys hollered repeatedly that the play was goaltending. Lewis brought Gettys aside and told him: "Yeah, but isn't it really cool he can do it."

Olajuwon brought awe to the court with his ability. Embiid has started to do the same at Kansas.

There's a foundation and skill set present that have given Gettys and others flashbacks of Olajuwon's NBA days.

"(Olajuwon) was such a fierce, fierce competitor," Gettys said. "He had a drive and intensity and tenacity inside of him. Combined with the incredible skill set he had is what made him a Hall of Fame player.

"That's the challenge to Joel. He has got the skill set. He can duplicate, if not exceed, what Hakeem did in the NBA. He will only approach that conversation when the intensity and the drive and tenacity inside of him matches the physical ability."

Self runs an annual boot camp. The weeklong program notoriously consists of running, running and more running.

On Friday, the final workout, Embiid quit on his team.

He couldn't finish his sprints. Self told him he let his teammates down. Embiid was to return Saturday to finish.

But five minutes after leaving, Embiid returned to the gym. He told Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts he wasn't done.

"I don't want to do it tomorrow," he said. "I want to finish like everyone else. I can do it."

After more sprints, Embiid was no longer the only player in the gym. Perry Ellis walked back in. Wayne Selden, Andrew Wiggins, every player on the team cheered him on.

The last sprint, every player ran with him, finishing in the required time.

"It was good for all our players to see he didn't give up on them," Roberts said.

Embiid had never experienced a week like boot camp. He never lifted a weight before he got to Kansas. It's part of the adjustment. Roberts said he once watched Embiid eat 20 brownies with ice cream in one sitting. He eats that sugar cookie while watching Olajuwon dominate the world's best players.

He's a kid, but he's learning every week to push harder - and the results are showing.

Putting it into action

There's another play on YouTube Embiid knows.

Rewind. Play. Rewind. Play. Rewind. Play.

A center beat everyone down the court on a fast break and jumped to catch a failed alley-oop attempt. The center caught the ball and reset on the low block.

First he faked left, and then he shimmied right. The center took a step to the left while his defender was looking the other way. The play was a reverse layup.

This time, it was a Joel Embiid highlight.

It was his first time using the move in a game.

Playing against New Mexico, Embiid faked out Alex Kirk, who won Mountain West All-Defensive honor last season for the Lobos.

Shortly after, the two players stood on the free-throw line talking and laughing.